More Ladders on Everest

Hillary Step too crowded

Nepal’s tourism ministry proposed installing ladders on Everest’s Hillary Step for a second time early Monday morning. The government body already announced that additional ropes would be fixed on congested ice walls, including the Hillary Step, for the upcoming season in an effort to ease major traffic jams on the world’s tallest mountain.

The Hillary Step is a 40-foot section of rock wall that climbers have to complete before reaching the summit. It's been a controversial bottleneck for years as both ascending and decending climbers have to pass through just before or after their summit bids. During the peak climbing months of April to June, climbers are often halted at the Hillary Step due to crowds, a dangerous and frustrating delay.

"This is very much like our drug war on our U.S./Mexican border," Howard Buffett told reporters, referring to how illegal hunters from Mozambique infiltrate Kruger National Park (KNP) in South Africa.

The money will fund a 30-month campaign in Kruger National Park and provide rangers with a helicopter, an aerostat balloon, and land vehicles equipped with sensors to track down poachers.

In parts of Asia, rhino horns are worth more per ounce than gold. Believed to be a cure-all for everything from cancer to hangovers, one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rhino horn can fetch between $65,000 to $100,000 in Vietnam.

Edna Molewa, South Africa's Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, told Reuters that "fighting and winning the battle in South Africa is fighting and winning the battle in the world."

0 Comments

Want to get Outside more?

Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest fitness tips, expert gear reviews, the best travel advice, and more.